Shipping and supply system for medical sharps

Abstract

The disclosure relates to an assembly for storing, dispensing, disposing, and shipping medical products such as sharps or pharmaceuticals. The assembly includes an outer container, an inner container, a unit configured for storing and dispensing unused medical products such as sharps or pharmaceuticals, and for receiving used medical sharps or unused pharmaceuticals. The inner container is adapted to receive the unit, and the outer container is adapted to receive the inner container.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . An assembly for storing, dispensing, disposing, and shipping medical products comprising:
 an outer container;   an inner container; and   a unit containing unused medical products;   wherein the inner container is adapted to receive the unit;   wherein the outer container is adapted to receive the inner container.   
     
     
         2 . The assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the unused medical products are unused medical sharps. 
     
     
         3 . The assembly of  claim 2 , wherein the unit is configured for dispensing the unused medical sharps, the unit further configured for receiving used medical sharps. 
     
     
         4 . The assembly of  claim 2 , wherein the unused medical sharps are pen needles or hypodermic needles. 
     
     
         5 . The assembly of  claim 3 , wherein the unit further comprises a dispensing port capable of providing access to a first compartment configured to receive the unused medical sharps. 
     
     
         6 . The assembly of  claim 5 , wherein the dispensing port is not capable of allowing used medical sharps to be inserted into the first compartment to which the dispensing port provides access. 
     
     
         7 . The assembly of  claim 6 , wherein the unit further comprises a receiving port capable of providing access to a second compartment for receiving used medical sharps such that used medical sharps may be inserted into the second compartment. 
     
     
         8 . The assembly of  claim 7 , wherein the unit further comprises a partition separating the first and second compartments. 
     
     
         9 . The assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the outer container is configured to ship medical waste. 
     
     
         10 . The assembly of  claim 9 , wherein the outer container includes a postage paid shipping label addressed to a medical waste disposal or collection facility. 
     
     
         11 . The assembly of  claim 10 , further comprising a sleeve configured to receive the outer container. 
     
     
         12 . The assembly of  claim 2 , further comprising a receptacle configured for receiving used medical sharps. 
     
     
         13 . The assembly of  claim 1 , further comprising a liquid barrier configured to receive the unit, wherein the inner container is adapted to receive the unit inside the liquid barrier. 
     
     
         14 . The assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the unused medical products include pharmaceuticals. 
     
     
         15 . The assembly of  claim 14 , wherein the unused medical products are prefilled syringes containing the pharmaceuticals. 
     
     
         16 . The assembly of  claim 14 , wherein the unused medical products are selected from the group consisting of pills, capsules, drug-eluting patches, inhalers, bottles, and pen injectors. 
     
     
         17 . An assembly for storing, dispensing, and returning medical sharps comprising:
 an outer container configured to ship used medical sharps;   an inner container;   a unit containing unused medical sharps, the unit configured to dispense the unused medical sharps and configured for receiving unused the medical sharps after use; and   a sealable liquid barrier configured to receive the unit;   wherein the inner container is adapted to receive the unit;   wherein the outer container is adapted to receive the inner container.   
     
     
         18 . The assembly of  claim 17 , wherein the outer container includes a postage paid shipping label addressed to a medical waste disposal or collection facility. 
     
     
         19 . The assembly of  claim 17 , wherein the unit further comprises a dispensing port capable of providing access to a first compartment containing the unused medical sharps, wherein the dispensing port is not capable of allowing used medical sharps to be inserted into the first compartment to which the dispensing port provides access, wherein the unit further comprises a receiving port capable of providing access to a second compartment for receiving the used medical sharps such that the used medical sharps may be inserted into the second compartment. 
     
     
         20 . A method of distributing unused medical sharps and collecting used medical sharps comprising:
 providing a unit for storing, dispensing, and disposing medical sharps, the unit containing a volume of medical sharps;   providing a sealable liquid barrier configured to receive the unit;   providing an inner container configured to receive the unit within the sealable liquid barrier;   providing an outer container configured to receive the inner container;   providing a sleeve configured to receive the outer container;   inserting the unit into the liquid barrier, inserting the liquid barrier into the inner container, inserting the inner container into the outer container, and inserting the outer container into the sleeve to define a package;   distributing the package to a user;   separating the sleeve, outer container, inner container, liquid barrier, and unit;   dispensing unused medical sharps from the unit;   inserting used medical sharps into the unit;   sealing the unit within the liquid barrier;   inserting the liquid barrier into the inner container, then inserting the inner container into the outer container and sealing the outer container; and   shipping the sealed outer container containing used medical sharps to a facility for destruction of the used medical sharps.